The Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs, a project of Hillel’s Office of Innovation, is accepting applications for its third cohort until March 11th. Rabbinical students interested in building the communities they wish to serve should consider applying. Fellows learn the skills of innovation and entrepreneurship; grow and reflect through a process of bold, creative thought and action; enjoy a supportive cohort experience; and receive a generous stipend. For more information on the program or to apply, visit: hillelofficeofinnovation.org/fellowship-for-rabbinic-entrepreneurs … [Read more...]

How Hunter Hillel is transforming to meet the needs of commuter students
By Merav Fine Braun
Deborah*, one of my students at Hunter College Hillel, sets her alarm most mornings for 6 a.m. before traveling two hours from Monsey to be on time for her 9 a.m. economics class at Hunter College. She’s not alone.
In New York City, at least 25,000 Jewish students commute to campus, according to the Hillel College Guide, including 60 percent of Hunter College students. The city is their classroom, and that presents both benefits and challenges. We can serve as a training ground for the future leaders of the New York Jewish community if we do our jobs right.
Our students are remarkable in their determination and commitment to their education. They have the farthest commutes in the CUNY system, with … [Read more...]

By Hannah N. Rosenberg
If there’s one thing that we know about Gen Z, it’s that they have grown up in a customized world. Whether it’s a no whip, pumpkin spice, extra hot, non-fat latte or one-click shopping with Amazon, this generation of college students know a world in which information and services can be tailor-made to fit their needs and interests. … [Read more...]

All our efforts to build a cadre of more and better leaders will remain insufficient unless our sector addresses a significant blind spot in our approach.
By Adina Danzig Epelman
The Jewish nonprofit sector has seen numerous investments in selective, high quality leadership programs for its top professionals over the years. Like those in the private sector, these investments are based on the high return that substantial investments in “high potential” professionals can have on organizational success. But, despite substantial investments in leadership development, the lack of skilled leaders to fill top positions in the Jewish nonprofit sector has caused concern for decades and remains a challenge today. Efforts to address the problem have led to renewed investments in leadership … [Read more...]

By Aliza Lifshitz
At a time when millions of dollars are funneled into hiring Jewish professionals to manage Jewish life on campus with little or no say from the students they claim to serve, the American Union of Jewish Students is attempting to take back the conversation of what it means to be a Jewish college student.
Founded in 1969, the American Union for Jewish Students has a tumultuous history, one which is shrouded in the technicalities of what exactly constitutes an “up-and-running” organization. AMUJS is a part of a much larger network of students known as the World Union for Jewish Students (WUJS). WUJS was founded by Zvi Lauterpacht in Antwerp in April 1924, with the intention of serving as a support and action network for students mostly in European universities confronting … [Read more...]

The largest Jewish campus organization in the world will this week bring more than 1,100 Hillel professionals, partners and stakeholders together in Denver for the fourth annual Hillel International Global Assembly (HIGA) and first-ever Hillel International Global Leadership Conference for volunteer leaders. The gatherings will showcase innovation from Hillels around the world, and give Hillel professionals the opportunity to share ideas and successes that can be emulated on campuses of every size.
Building on the success of Hillel U, the organization’s comprehensive new professional development program, this year’s HIGA (December 4-7) will feature peer-to-peer and expert-led learning modeled after corporate and academic trainings. Among this year’s programming will be “Empowering and Supporting … [Read more...]

By Mimi Kravetz
When I joined Hillel International two years ago as our Chief Talent Officer with the mandate to make Hillel a premier workplace that attracted, trained and retained top talent, launching an employee engagement survey was at the top of my priority list. The goal was to benchmark where we were, direct our initiatives and investments, and track the progress the organization makes over time.
I was thrilled to learn about Leading Edge’s plans to start a sector-wide survey, and Hillel immediately took the opportunity to participate in the pilot, as well as this year’s Second Annual Employee Engagement Survey, with roughly 80 percent of Hillel’s global movement participating.
What we have learned has done more than just educate us on what our staff is thinking; the feedback has … [Read more...]

By Jaime Walman
Well, not really. But it was a fun marketing tactic and, after all, it’s birthright season!
At Hillels around the globe, campus professionals are focused on recruiting students, many of whom have never been to Israel, to take the plunge and register for 10 days in the Holy Land. So what does Drake have to do with Birthright?
Everything.
Applying appropriate resource and innovative strategy into Marketing and Communications is overlooked at most nonprofits and is often outdated especially when targeting the Millenial generation. As this recent eJP article states, you have about 5 seconds to catch someone’s attention. How do you do it? It certainly isn’t through simply changing your profile picture on Facebook or placing ads in your newsletters or copying and pasting … [Read more...]

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